Cutting molars is a nightmare!
My 16 month old is cutting three right now and has been in agony and very cranky for weeks. Thankfully, Motrin has been relieving him of the pain and discomfort.
He is pretty good about taking meds and I don’t have to hold him down. I let him have the control of putting the syringe in his mouth and helping me push the liquid in. I then let him play with it or chew on it for a bit.
As a child life specialist and mom I am constantly trying to normalize and bring play into things that can be difficult for kids.
I have used syringe painting with patients and my older son and it works really well. Being able to let the kids play with the medical materials in a non-threatening way helps them to process what they are experiencing and gain mastery and control over it.
Syringe play works awesome in the bath tub. My kids love to manipulate them and squirt each other and myself. It’s a great way to explore, have fun and ease the experience of taking medication.
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